The Missing Link: Scientists Discover Fish With ‘Feet’

The oceans are so vast that many parts have yet to be explored. Deep down there are creatures and fish that have not yet been discovered or which are rarely captured on film.

This applies to the Mona Canyon located just off the coast of Puerto Rico when the NOAA Okeanos exploration came across a fish with legs that was walking on the ocean floor.

Species of Angler Fish
The researchers found a deep sea fish with the name of the Pink Frogmouth, which is rarely seen, also given the name of the Sea Toad. This is an anglerfish using fins that have been modified and turned into fins allowing the fish to walk around the seafloor. Scientists believe that the fish has been living on the bottom of the sea for so long that the front along with the back fins have adapted into feet so that the fish could get around on the bottom of the sea floor more easily.

The Pink Frogmouth Can Also Swim in the Ocean

A video was captured showing the Pink Frogmouth fish walking along the bottom of the ocean floor and it one of the strangest things to witness. As fish generally swim about in the ocean this fish with its downturned mouth looks almost alien as it shuffles along on the ocean floor. The fish walks using two smallish fins at the back and front. However, it does enjoy the best of both worlds as it also has larger fins situated in the middle of its body allowing it to swim just as any other fish swims around the ocean.

The Pink Frogmouth fish usually lives in a depth range of between 200 and 978 meters. The fish has been spotted living in the Atlantic along with the Mediterranean Oceans where it dines on shrimp.

The Pink Frogmouth fish looks like something straight out of a horror movie. It now only needs to develop further to allow it to breathe on land and it could walk right up out of the ocean.